Before the Flames, A Jane & Alec FanFic
by lottie01
Summary: Before the thirst came the flames - an end to to their persecution from others but a beginning to theirs to others.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

The ending of my life was much the same as the beginning of this one; the two pains merged together, the only differences I can feel is the way the fires burned through me, outside-in to inside-out. There is only one other who knows and shares the pains I remember, however faded they've become now. Although they faded I chose to hold onto them so I would never forget that pain and never again let others hurt me and my brother.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I remember very little of my past – our past and what I do remember is hazy. Aro, our master has told us a little of what he knew, since our awakening to this life, a much more civilised society when compared to the one we left, even considering the lifestyle adaptations we adopted with our change in culture.

We were born in a small village in the southwest of France in about 1708, we were orphaned at a young age and lived with our aunt, she was kind to us unlike the others of the village. Rumours and gossip had circulated about us since our birth because we were twins – a strange anomaly to them – two children born at the same time was not the work of God, but the devil himself.

As far as I was aware there was nothing special about us, our aunt loved us and cared for us – she ignored the rumours about us and our birth. She was shunned by the other villagers for caring for us. Little do I think she knew this would be her undoing. She was the protector of our humanity. The villagers though myself and Alec strange to be so alike and so together, the other children refused to play with us – so we were left alone often whilst our aunt worked in the fields. We were uneducated then – too poor to learn and it would have been the most unlikely thing for the other children to accept us, they felt uncomfortable in our presence.

Aro explained that he had watched us grow, from a distance and he was fascinated by how others reacted to our presence and wondered what that could mean in our new lives – he was sure that attribute would translate. It was that – the fear we caused others, which was both our downfall and our saving grace.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I'll jump ahead a few years, as I don't know enough of the minor events of my human life. They came for us one night – the witch hunter and his gang of followers. I think it was probably a though which had been at the back of our minds for a long time. Something about myself and Alec scared the others and only our aunt could bare to be near us.

Our aunt died in the flames before us, a few months before – they took her one day, we were playing in the forest together, Aro said he never had seen two such like us – so alike but so opposite. We heard the crowds at first, the hunts had become so much rarer now – and normally they wouldn't bother us, we would watch though. We ran to the village where the pyre was, a permanent feature – to scare off those who played with the devil. It wasn't shock that I felt – it is hard to describe, because then I saw things through a glazed eyes with a child's raw emotions. Our aunt burned at the stake – her crimes unknown – to us anyway, although we knew it was through association with us – protecting us. Now I know the truth – they needed her out of the way so they could get at us. My aunt screamed out – at what I don't know – maybe the pain of it all.

But her screams soon faded before the fire struck – I took Alec's hand, and turned to face him, he had a sheer look of concentration upon his face as he faced the flames. I turned back – I didn't hold any sadness but anger – the anger boiled in my veins. I looked towards the crowds and gripped Alec's hand, letting my anger overwhelm me – concentrating wishing them pain. The crowd's chants turned to painful screams – everyone around us. Alec's concentration on the flames broke and he looked towards me, I knew what he was thinking – it's over now.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I can see why people may have been scared of us now, in some ways – especially Alec. Alec never spoke to anyone else – some thought him a mute , but he did speak – to me. We knew instinctively how each other felt and what each other thought and we still do now. Alec never showed any emotion as a human, as far as I know, apart from towards me. I was different – I showed my emotions, to anyone, maybe that's what scared the humans.

Alec was right – it was over now for us, we would have to leave the village and run away because now we had no protection, we were young, but not stupid – we knew very well that we were next on their target list – although I doubted the human's courage. The moment Alec's concentration broke I broke mine and looked at the fires – our aunt had gone, we stepped back from the crowds breaking into a run – not to the house, to the forest from which we came.

We may have been rumoured to be evil and from the devil, but the legends surrounding the half-human half-wolves who came to hunt at midnight kept the villagers from the forest – that was out safety to hide in another story, another rumour. There is another reason for the villagers suspicions – we played by the forest while they ran scared – maybe we were stupid or had enough insight to know their words were fiction.

Alec promised to protect me when we were younger and I him – our unspoken vow. Aro said he had found us sleeping in the forest once, when he came to check we were safe still – he had others watching us, but from time to time he came to visit, to explore his fascination...

''_I should have taken you back to Italy then and there and then transformed you both to become like us, but you were both so young and it was important we let you grow, we felt it would have been hard for you to remain so childlike for eternity' Aro said with genuine feeling. "I'm sorry for leaving you in the wilderness but I knew you were safe – Caius had seen to that before your births"_

_Aro took out hands and walked with us, and answered the thought in my head "The witch-finder, yes my dear a threat but a threat that posed little immediate danger and well I felt it only right for my brothers and guard to have their share of a such a feast... I found the finder sleeping and took him by the hand to see his intentions and yes dear Jane, he had the intent to kill you both but his fear of the forest and more importantly you both kept him from that goal" I wondered why he hadn't chosen to kill him then – our threat would have been eliminated and we could have grown in some peace Aro smiled and knelt to us both – Alec remained silent and held my hand "Dear ones, I could have done but the humans will have thought you both had murdered him in the act of revenge – he was needed in a way to protect you – it was his fears preventing the humans from hunting you and burning you both" Alec must have thought the same as me. _


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Like I said our lives begun and ended in the same way – in fire. This is the clearest memory I have, of the orange flames dancing before us. We had been hungry and strayed too close to the village – hunting was difficult then, and there was only so much which grew in forests that was edible. It turned that the hunter had outgrown his fear, we were found and cornered with the men of the village approaching us. It was the last time I felt true fear.

We stood together on the pyre where our aunt had once stood – she is now a faded memory to me. We were young and weak human children then – they overpowered our struggles instantly trying us to the stakes binding our hands.

"DONT LET THEM TOUCH, THE WICKED THINGS" cried a woman – anger begun to boil in my veins, I was overwhelmed – Alec whispered across to me – I could barely hear through the chants of the amassed crowds.

The flames got close to us – anger continued to boil through me, I desperately wanted to see if Alec was okay. I stared into the crowd focusing my anger onto the humans below – many whom I recognised, mothers holding their children close, fathers standing with their family. The chants had slowed, the people had the slightest hint of fear in their eyes – that made me smile, in the face of death, the fact we could still scare people made me smile.

Now I looked more closely at the crowd I could see others whom I didn't recognise – they looked the same. Hooded figures moved throughout the crowd, I thought that they may be from a nearby village – burnings were rare these days – children burning were even rarer. However there was something odd in the way these people moved, so graciously like they were floating. My mind went back to the flames I could now hear at my feet – they'd set the fire – soon we would die, I wished I could hold Alec's hand, but I knew he was feeling the same – I spoke to him.

"_Alec, Alec – its begun_"

"_Yes Jane I know sister, it will be over soon"_

"_I know – can you see those strange people in cloaks"_

I had eyed the people in cloaks watching as with the speed of light moved their hoods from their face – red eyes and that became my last human memory before the blackness of unfeeling – I didn't know then but Alec saved me from the pain of human punishment the fire at my feet faded away – to be replaced with the internal burning – the awakening to my new life.


End file.
